


Taming a Dragon

by MaybeStarlight



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Dehumanization, Drugging, Gen, Kidnapping, Oni and Dragon Lloyd, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Whump, hoo boy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:22:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27128506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaybeStarlight/pseuds/MaybeStarlight
Summary: How much is someone willing to pay for the perfect pet? When an online ad requesting the acquisition of a one of a kind pet goes up, a certain green ninja finds himself at the center of the request. Kidnapped, isolated, and in training, how long can he stay strong until his friends are able to find him? And who is to say when they do, he'll be the same green ninja he was when he left?
Relationships: Lloyd Garmadon & Kai, Lloyd Garmadon & Nya, Team Dynamics - Relationship, The entire ninja team tbh, passive jaya
Comments: 4
Kudos: 54





	1. Expected

Nights on the edges of Ninjago City were Lloyd’s favorite, especially once the weather was starting to cool down like it was that night. He left the library of Ninjago City University a quarter before close, walking back to his apartment. It was a perk of being a ninja that he was able to afford living on his own while he tried to get an education for himself. He knew he was always one or two injuries away from being forced into retirement, and knew he needed to have a back up plan ready. He wasn’t sure what he’d want to do, but it was only his first semester. He had time to figure that out.   
Lloyd crossed the street and began to walk through a small park. During the day, it was usually pretty busy, but at this hour, it was empty. It wasn’t well lit, but Lloyd always felt comfortable walking home. Nya called it his stupidity, Kai called it his confidence in his skills. It was maybe a bit of both, Lloyd would admit to himself. Either way, he’d never felt the need to use his training on his walk home. Despite this, his self-appointed siblings had given him a strict talk about being careful, and a few things he could carry in his bag for a last ditch attempt at safety. They had been the most excited about Lloyd going to school. They’d been the ones who helped him find this apartment, a little historical thing above a small thrift store on the artsy part of town. They made sure to visit at least once a week, with a family dinner with the whole team scheduled for every Saturday night.  
He left the park, only a few blocks from his apartment. Lloyd looked at the new displays in the window. Fall was here, and shops were starting to prepare for day of the departed in a month. Lloyd had an exam that morning, he remembered reading that in the syllabus his professor had given at the start of the semester. It was fine by him, he was going to try not to think about the holiday until he was with his family. This was the first year in his memory that he was going to not be around them the entire day.   
Lloyd walked past the parking lot of a small bakery when he heard a voice call out to him. “Excuse me, sir!” Lloyd turned his head, defensive at first. He could see a man running towards him, and Lloyd’s muscles tensed, ready to bolt at a moment’s notice.   
A hundred scenarios ran through his head, and he could hear all of Kai’s stranger danger lessons in the back of his mind. The man stopped just a few feet away, breathing hard like he wasn’t used to running. “Listen, do you know anything about cars? I’ve been stuck out here since I closed up at Clary’s,” The guy said, pointing at the bakery. “And I can’t afford a tow, and I really just want to get home.”   
“Uhhh…” Lloyd looked back at the only car in the Clary’s parking lot—how long had the bakery been called Clary’s? Lloyd could have sworn it was called Clancee’s or Clare’s, but as he looked at the dim sign, sure enough it said Clary’s—and then at the stranger. “I can always try?” Best case was that this was one of the few things he knew how to fix from his year without the rest of the team around to always help fix his motorcycle. Worse case, he called a tow truck for the guy and paid for it. Money was, unsurprisingly, not an issue when you were the green savior of Ninjago, three times over at least.   
The man smiled, and waved for Lloyd to follow him to the car. It was a beat up looking minivan, with “Ninjago City Schools” stickers half-peeled off the back, the most intact one partially covered with a Clary’s bakery sticker. He opened the driver’s side door and sat down, hitting a button to lift the hood of the car. “When I start it, it just sort of…sounds wrong.” He stuck his key in the ignition and cranked it to start the car.   
He wasn’t wrong. The van let out a high pitched whining noise, before he turned it off, looking at Lloyd expectantly.   
Lloyd chewed on his lip, and looked under the hood of the car, using his phone’s flashlight, he noticed something was off. He could see severed wires, and a shiny fluid doused over parts of the engine. He looked back at the strange man. “…You wouldn’t happen to have any enemies, would you?”  
The man seemed caught off guard, looking at Lloyd like he had three heads. He came to look as well, and Lloyd pointed at the very obvious, intentional damage to the inner workings of the car. “I know that’s your brake line, and it’s been severed. It’s probably a good thing your car wouldn’t start. Someone could’ve killed you doing this.” He unlocked his phone, going to call a tow company. “I’m gonna get someone to come out and get your car to a shop—on me, don’t worry about the cost.”   
“You think someone was trying to kill me?”  
Lloyd nodded, then shrugged. “Or someone else and they got the wrong car.” 

* * *

  
It was almost an hour before Lloyd waved at the man as he rode off with the tow company. Lloyd ran a hand through his tousled hair and sighed. It was beyond late at this point, and he couldn’t wait to get home and get some sleep. He hoped, for the sake of tomorrow’s busy schedule—Tuesdays were for training after all—that no other eventful activities happened in the last two blocks. The smell of smoke from a distant fireplace filled the air, and Lloyd smiled despite his exhaustion. It was one of the few scents that made him think of fall. Smokey and warm, like the way Kai smelled when he pulled Lloyd in for a hug after spending the day at the forge. Wood smoke smelled different than metal smoke, but it was similar enough to pull the memory to mind.   
His apartment was dark when he finally opened the door, walking into the kitchen to put his keys in the bowl, setting his bag down on the counter. Unpacking and washing his bento was a problem for morning-Lloyd, not current-Lloyd. He shuffled down the short hallway to his bedroom, opening the door. Not bothering to even change clothes, he kicked his shoes off and curled onto his bed, pulling a throw blanket Jay had given him—neon yellow, so bright it practically glowed in the dark—over his body he closed his eyes, ready to pass out.   
His clock read a quarter past midnight. Most of his neighbors were already deeply asleep and dreaming. Lloyd himself, exhausted by the day and knowing that the next day would be exhausting as well, fell asleep quickly and deeply, body relaxed under the light blanket. Moonlight crept through the gap in the curtains, and had Lloyd been awake enough to notice, he would have seen the shadow cast across the floor of his room as someone stood before walking away from his bedroom window. 

* * *

  
The sound of the door creaking open didn’t wake Lloyd hours later that night, nor did the sound of someone stalking towards his bed as quiet as snowfall. It wasn’t until a hand clasped around his neck, pressing him down into his bed as they climbed onto his back, pinning his arms to his side with their knees that he woke and immediately began to thrash. His mind, disoriented even in the dim lighting, tried to make sense of what was happening. His mind tried to find his escape, fingers fumbling in his pocket for his phone.  
One push, two push—he felt something sting in his neck and thrashed harder  
Three—four. It buzzed loudly against his leg, and even as his eyes shut, he knew help was on the way. He was never happier than in that moment that Nya had insisted on setting up the emergency dial.  
If only help was going to make it in time. 


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Cyrus Borg considered himself a man of routine. Such as the morning commute to the tower was spent reading local news headlines. He needed to know if anything was going on, especially if anything could be an early warning sign to the next batch of goodies for the ninja for their next big fights. He hoped today was not going to be one of those days. He truly hated them. The time crunch left him with no time to have the prototypes tested, and he hated the idea of his inventions being why the ninja could fail a fight.

**APARTMENT COMPLEX BOMBING**

**FIRE CONTAINED AFTER EXPLOSION IN APARTMENT COMPLEX**

**31 CONFIRMED DEAD, SOME RESIDENTS STILL UNACCOUNTED FOR!**

Cyrus raised his brows, clicking on a headline.

This is an ongoing investigation and updates will be provided as information comes in.

Early this morning a series of explosives detonated inside an apartment on the west side of the city, leaving at least thirty residents confirmed dead at this time. Another ten from surrounding studio apartments have been transported to Ninjago Memorial Hospital due to injuries. We have reports of one survivor in critical condition. Additionally, four shops surrounding the apartment complex were evacuated due to damages received from the initial blast as well as the ensuing fire. The police are on the scene with a large search and rescue unit to recover the bodies as quickly as possible. The bomb squad was successful in finding an undetonated bomb, according to a witness on the scene. As of right now the police are uncertain about suspects, and have stated that us reporters should "give the scene space and let the professionals do their jobs" to determine more information about the horrific crime that occured.

Witnesses also report seeing the white ninja on the scene assisting in the immediate aftermath of the bomb.

Ninjago City Chronicle reminds citizens to avoid the scene as the streets surrounding the block are currently closed for safety and to protect the investigation. Be vigilant and remember, if you know anything about the crime, the police have their anonymous crime stoppers tip line set up at 646-555-5246.

Cyrus winced as he clicked on another article. This seemed too large to be just a coincidence, especially if there was more than one bomb. He sighed. He would have to rearrange today's schedule, see what he could do to help with the damages, as well as the potential of this being some new villain to terrorize the city. With the upcoming Borg Tech Expo in two weeks, he couldn't afford for there to be another risk to the safety of the people.

Cyrus sipped at his coffee, and sighed again.

* * *

There were very few times that Zane felt completely at peace with his robotic nature. It always bugged him, even just a little bit, that he was that different. Now, being able to compartmentalize mechanically gave him the upperhand. He could force himself to be numb for right now, in the name of the job. It was essential, as apartment after apartment only revealed more disfigured remains.

Zane had been assisting with the rescue all morning. He had been on patrol during the night, and had seen the explosion from several miles away. He knew this was bad, a bomb of that size in a split zoned area would lead to a number of injuries and deaths.

They had started on what had been the third floor once it was contained enough to begin search operations, moving upwards. Zane was glad he was able to assist, scanning the building for structural weak points to protect the trained professionals. The phrase "like a bomb went off" couldn't begin to describe the actual destruction in front of him. It was only a building with five floors, a total of about fifteen apartments. This was where the bombs had gone off, and after the third critical condition rescue, Zane knew they weren't going to find anyone else alive. Not when the bottom two floors, the ones most structurally damaged by the explosion, were designated to wait. It was likely that the bomb originated on the second floor.

He watched as another ambulance drove off with no lights. He felt for the citizens working the morgue, having to match body parts to partially charred bodies. The chief of police came up behind him, clearing his throat. Zane turned around.

"They…they pulled some information from dispatch last night." Zane watched his body language, there was something difficult for the chief to say. "Is that why you're here? Because he called?"

Zane blinked twice, tilting his head in confusion. "I am afraid I am not following. Who called?"

The chief shook his head and looked back at the remains of the complex. "…Get to the station. The rest of your team is already there. I…I think it's best we take over search and rescue. Jerry's got a transport ready to take you to the station." The chief nodded at a young officer who nodded back. Zane looked between them as the chief turned away, walking back to where the landlord was being interviewed.

The lack of information made Zane's head whirl on the ride to the station. They weren't suspects, were they? None of them could even use their powers to make an explosion like that, something purely destructive, purely intent to hurt. Their elements were born from creation, not destruction…

The ride over to the station was silent, not even the radio chirped, leaving Zane watching the city from inside the police car.

A city with at least thirty four fewer residents today than it had last night.

* * *

The first thing Zane noticed was the way that Kai was pacing the room anxiously, and that he had been chewing at his nails. Kai paused to look at Zane, eyeing him up and down. Zane looked down at himself, realizing how dirty he had gotten from climbing around in the rubble.

The silence in the room was heavy, Nya messing with Kai's phone, holding it to her ear time and time again, like she was trying to reach someone. Cole was holding a cup of coffee that Zane could see had already gone cold, and Jay was anxiously tapping his fingers together, but unlike normal, he couldn't decipher the pattern behind the tapping.

Nya growled and slammed Kai's phone on the table. "I can't get through to him still-and if-if-" She swallowed anxiously, looking at Kai. "...I can't believe it."

Kai whirled on his sister, shaking his head. "No. He couldn't have been there, Lloyd couldn't have gotten caught in that-"

"It's his complex, Kai! And it was after midnight! Where else would he have been?"

A sick feeling settled in Zane. Now it was coming together. The chief didn't want Zane to be there if they went into Lloyd's apartment and found what remained of him.

This was very bad.

Nya stood suddenly, the chair she was sitting in tipping over with a screech and a clatter. "They know he called the station ten minutes before the explosion. It was a silent call, but it lasted for over three minutes. He could've been knocked out to make sure he wasn't able to-"

"Nya, STOP" Kai yelled, gripping at his head. Tears ran down Kai's face, and he stifled a sob. "They haven't found his body yet, Lloyd could still be alive."

No one argued against that.

* * *

It felt like they had been sitting around for hours before the chief of police came in, his hat in his hands. It took seconds for Zane to analyze his posture. The news was not good.

"We've sent two officers to escort Misako Garmadon to the city morgue. They...they think they found his body. She's his mother so she has to be the one to identify him…" The chief looked down at the ground. "We'll take you over there once she's made the initial call."

It was like another bomb went off in the room, devastating their team.

* * *

Waking up on what was essentially a giant dog bed surrounded by blankets, inside a large cage was less than comforting, for a number of reasons.

First, Lloyd didn't know anyone with a dog. Well, that's not true. His upstairs neighbor had a dog. He had never seen it, but he had certainly heard it several times. It sounded like a small, yappy little dog.

Second, he certainly didn't know anyone alive who would like to see him in a giant cage, on a dog bed surrounded by blankets, and restrained.

"Shit…" Lloyd mumbled, rolling from his side onto his stomach, arms cuffed together in front of him. The world spun as he rolled, and he groaned, biting down on his lip. He didn't usually get dizzy like this, but for some reason…

He racked his brain, trying to remember. He remembered getting back to his apartment, and going to sleep, but after that...everything was blank.

Lloyd tried to push himself up, the room spinning again. When it all came back into focus, he realized that there seemed to be several sections to the room, the first being the cage he was felt around the bars of the cage until he found the door, crawling on hands and knees to the bars of the cage, he looked out.

There were blankets pulled over the cage, making it darker inside than the rest of the room, which was filled with sunlight-what time was it? The better question was how long had he been unconscious. Lloyd didn't want to think it had been more than the night. He hoped it hadn't been longer. Even if these were particularly strange circumstances, what was that old statistic? That every minute counted in the first forty-eight hours of a crime, and every minute after lowered the chances of being found?

Lloyd didn't want to think too much about that outcome. His friends had found him countless times before, they could do it one last time. For now, it was Lloyd's job to get himself out and to safety. He certainly wasn't a damsel in distress. He just needed to take this one step at a time. The first step? Evaluate his surroundings for a way out and a weapon.

From what he could see outside of the cage, there was a larger room than he would expect, except instead of traditional furniture it had...odd decorations? The whole room seemed designed like a classroom, with various things scattered around, the only sign of normalcy being the three doors Lloyd could see from the cage. Three normal, wooden looking doors. Normal, except for the keypads sitting beside each door on the wall. It would take him a while

The furthest wall had what looked like an artificial rock structure built onto it, with spaces at varying heights that almost reminded Lloyd of something.

It hit him with a bolt of lightning and he sat back in shock. "A cat tree…" This creep had built a cat tree-like structure in a large room.

The windows. Lloyd turned to look at those, finding his view from inside the cage impeded by the blankets. He pulled at them, but found resistance at each tug, trying to pull the blankets into the cage to get them out of his way. He planted his feet against the bar and pulled hard, lifting himself slightly off the floor of the cage. "Come ON!" He snapped, yelling as he pulled. His grip slipped, and he hit the ground hard with a groan. The fabric had ripped into a fairly long split down the middle, and Lloyd crawled across the cage floor to look through it. The windows were large, and had bars on both sides. Even though the sun left an eerie glare on the glass, Lloyd was pretty certain that the windows were facing a heavily wooded area. He could have a chance to hid if he could get into that area.

It was in that moment that he heard footsteps coming, and he scrambled back under the blanket he awoke under.

The door's lock was loud as it was undone, and he kept his eyes shut as he heard it open and shut, someone walking into the room.

"Well, no need to pretend you're still out cold. I've been watching you since I left this room waiting to begin your training, little one."


	3. Chapter Three

Lloyd sat himself up, pulling the blanket taut in his hands. He eyed the man, noticing the tool belt. There were likely things in there that he could use as weapons but if he got close enough, Lloyd could knock him out, strangle him with the blanket, something to buy himself time. He eyed the door of the cage, and the door of the room as the man slowly walked closer. He had a gentle smile that would've been pleasant in any other situation than kidnapped and caged in a strange place.

The man stopped a foot from the bars, settling down in front of the bars of the cage. "I'll be patient today. I know it can be scary in a new place, but you're safe here." He set a water bottle outside the bars, still in reach for Lloyd if he moved towards him. "I figured you were thirsty. They said that sedative can make your mouth dry. I hope you're not in any pain. I asked them to be gentle."

Maybe Lloyd had some sort of hearing distortion as he shook his head as though that would make the man's words make sense. He eyed the water, it was in a sealed plastic bottle. It could be useful. There were a few issues though.

First, it could be drugged. He can't fight if he's sedated.

Second, it would require him to move within reach of the man, and _that_ really did not sit well with Lloyd.

But the man was right, now that he said something Lloyd did notice how dry his throat was, and his mouth. It wouldn't be good to be captured _and_ dehydrated. It would make him weaker. It would make for a more difficult escape once Lloyd could get out of this cage.

If he could get out of the cage. He eyed the locks on it.

Not once had the man moved since he sat down. He still had that placid smile on his face, and even just looking at him sent alarm bells ringing in Lloyd's head. This man was why he had been- _how_ had he been kidnapped again?

Lloyd frowned, the gaps in his memory starting to bother him. He...remembered leaving the library? "How long?"

It seemed to catch the man off guard. "Hm?"

"How long have I been gone?"

The words seemed to hang in the air, the man still, watching Lloyd with his calculating eyes. "You've been asleep for two days. It was quite a strong sedative. Plus, travel time and making sure you were settled in properly." He gestured at the water. "I figured you would be quite thirsty after so long. I'd hand it to you, but I figured you wouldn't accept anything I handed to you for a while."

"I won't be here for 'a while', my friends will find me! And then we'll _all_ kick your-" Lloyd faltered as the man was pulling out a paper from his back pocket. Lloyd recognized the header. Ninjago Times, the local paper. It was flipped around so Lloyd could see the headlines.

**APARTMENT ASSASSINATION! GREEN NINJA PRONOUNCED DEAD AFTER TARGETED ATTACK. BOMBER STILL AT LARGE!**

**THIRTY-EIGHT CONFIRMED DEAD IN APARTMENT BOMBING.**

There was a photo of what must've been the wreckage of his apartment building warped and twisted from fire and the apparent explosion. Lloyd snatched the paper from the man's hands, his own hand shaking as he looked at the printed picture of himself next to it.

He remembered the day that photo had been taken, it was cropped out of the photo, but he was also holding a box. It was the day he moved into that apartment, and he had been so happy that everyone was there to help. It felt like they were, for once, all normal. It had been the only time they'd all been together at his apartment, just before school started and things got hectic for everyone. They had always said next weekend when he tried to get everyone together for an evening, after this mission or that crisis, or that low-tier villain. That night, they even ate pizza like normal young adults, and laughed until midnight.

The man pulled the paper back from his shaking hands. "It was quite dramatic, in my opinion. They had to make it look like a believable death and leave the body unrecognizable even to your little robot friend. Clearly, it worked." Lloyd watched his picture in the paper get folded over.

He felt numb, and gripped at the blanket in his lap. If his friends thought he was dead-and surely, surely they didn't actually believe that it was him-then he was on his own to escape. Which meant that he needed to earn enough trust that the man would let him out of the cage.

For now, he had to play the game. He could survive this. This was nothing compared to what Pythor or Morro had ever put him through. He could do this on his own, and then he could get home and save his friends a lot of pain. At least, no more than the initial shock.

At least he wouldn't be the first one to 'die' and not be dead? Not that that was a helpful thought to linger on.

The man resumed his relaxed posture, observing him.

"My name is Ray. Until I tell you otherwise, you will call me Mister, or Mister Ray. I don't intend on hurting you unless you break the rules here. If you behave, you will find your life quite comfortable and..." His eyes moved to the side, and the complacent smile dropped. "Well. Destroying things already? Aren't you an impatient little thing?"

Lloyd scooted back until his back was pressed painfully against the bars. The man's tone had changed too. It was...cold, and condescending. He didn't like the implications. "I'm sorry?" Lloyd tried to sound sincere about it, the rip in the blanket had been an act of desperation, after all. He didn't intend on damaging anything.

The man looked at Lloyd and softened his cold expression, returning to his relaxed and neutral expression. Lloyd wanted to ignore the other emotion in the man's eyes. Admiration? Adoration? Lloyd didn't want to know for sure. The man sighed. "Oh little one, you didn't know better yet. I'll let it slide this once." He gestured again at the water. "You must be thirsty, little one. Please, it's all for you."

Lloyd didn't move. It was still too close to the man-it could easily put him in his reach and Lloyd didn't trust him as far as he could throw him.

But the more the man mentioned it, the fact that it had been two _days_ without water meant he wasn't going to have much of an option soon. He needed to be in his best condition to get out of here, to get back to Ninjago.

With one last wary glance at the man, Lloyd reached out to grab the bottle as fast as lightning, drawing it back in towards himself in a blink. He resumed his distance from the man, and the feel of the plastic in his hands was a comfort. He cracked the lid open, drinking from the bottle greedily. Ray's eyes never left him as he did, Lloyd could feel the stare on him. The dryness in his throat subsided, and he slowed down, putting the cap back on. Half a water bottle left, he could make that last for at least the rest of the day, if he rationed it. But he needed more than twelve ounces of water a day.

Lloyd looked back at Ray, waiting.

Ray moved closer towards the cage, touching the bars. "See? Isn't that better?" He looked at the water bottle. "You were very thirsty. I'll bring some more up later, once I know that's not going to upset your stomach."

They were both silent for a moment, which stretched into a minute. Then, Ray spoke again. "You can speak, just remember to address me when you do. I don't want to think you're talking to no one!" He laughed a little, like it was funny.

"...Thank you?" Lloyd paused, waiting to see if the man would really force him to call him Mister. It seemed silly. He took another sip of water, only slightly relieved at the idea of getting more soon. He had his answer instantly, seeing the look of anger coming back to Ray's face. "Um, thank you, Mister. For the water." He mumbled quickly, looking away. This was way different from any of the other times he'd been kidnapped before. This was just weird.

Lloyd could swallow his pride for a minute though, if it got him any closer to getting back home, it would be worth it.

"Now," He started, seemingly excited. "I have a few rules you need to remember, I don't want to punish you anymore than you want to be punished."

Lloyd pulled back as far from the bars again at the idea of punishment. He had no intention of ever getting caught to find out what that would be like.

Ray didn't react to the sudden withdraw. "I've already told you about talking to me directly, and that goes for asking for anything, like an extra blanket or some food, or a book if that's what will make you happy. Right now though, it all comes down to your behavior." He got up, walking to get something and temporarily vanishing out of Lloyd's field of view. Being unable to see his captor set Lloyd back on edge.

That didn't stop Ray from talking, of course. "I've set up a way for you to ask for things when I'm not in here with you, little one. It'll send alerts to my phone wherever I am. You'll only be able to access it when you're out of the enclosure. Don't worry, that door will often be unlocked so you can sleep during the day if you need to." He chuckled, and Lloyd heard a series of beeps before Ray walked back over with a set of keys. Lloyd could practically taste the freedom those keys held. "I'm having to rethink a few things since I found out you're more oni-blooded than dragon-blooded. Still, with your temperament I'm sure calling you my little dragon is still quite appropriate."

Lloyd went cold despite the pleasant warmth of the room. This man knew more about him than most people should. How could he possibly know that? That data was secured and secretly processed by Zane to begin with.

"You'll make such an excellent little pet once you're all trained up, I'll even be able to show you off to a few of my friends if everything goes well. We collect and treasure the rarities of Ninjago. They think you were the riskiest idea I've had yet, but I think everything will be just fine with some training and a little bit of polish."

That made Lloyd's mouth drop open. He wanted to protest but at the same time he couldn't think of any other words than what the actual fuck.

Once again, as though he couldn't see the disturbed expression on Lloyd's face the man chuckled. "The next rule is that any attempts to hurt me, or anyone else who comes to see you, will be met with strict punishment. I know you're used to fighting, to everyone trying to hurt you, but here, in this home, you're safe. No one will ever hurt you unless you hurt them first." He reached for something on his tool belt and moved closer to the cage. "Now, I figured that you wouldn't take too kindly to a collar at first, so this was the alternative." He held up a soft brown leather cuff, twisting it in his fingers. Lloyd didn't miss the golden plate in the middle of it with his name engraved. "Will you give me your arm to put it on you easily, or are you going to be naughty and fight me?"

Well, if he was going to give Lloyd such a choice... Lloyd froze. If he went too willingly it could give away his plan to escape as soon as possible by playing the game. If he fought too much though, he'd risk punishment, and who knew what kind of sick ideas this man had for punishments.

The door of the cage clicked open and the man moved towards Lloyd, the cuff clenched in his right hand. Lloyd moved until his back was once again flush with the bars of the cage. Avoiding him wasn't by definition the same as fighting. It was avoiding. So long as Lloyd didn't strike the man it couldn't actually be considered fighting, now could it.

Lloyd watched mutely as the man stopped a foot away from him, reaching forward to gently coax Lloyd's arm away from his body and lock the cuff on Lloyd's wrist tightly.

* * *

This was not the first time Kai had stood inside the rubble of the apartment. He stood still, looking around what remained. He knew if the others found out he was here he'd get a lecture of a lifetime about safety.

But he had to be sure that there wasn't something they'd missed. Something small, something to possibly prove that Zane's inability to firmly identify ~~Lloyd's~~ the body's identity meant their little brother was still alive.

Nothing had felt right about it. Seeing the scattered remains on the table because there wasn't enough of a face to just show that, looking for any sign of it being their little brother...

It couldn't have been him. Lloyd wouldn't die to something so brutal, so simple like a bombing. After everything he had survived, there was no way. Kai refused to believe it.

He walked carefully, knowing the whole building was condemned and structurally infirm. One wrong move could lead to a further collapse.

But Kai needed answers. Needed hope. Needed something to cling to before tomorrow, when they would all gather together and carry Lloyd's cremated remains all the way to the corridor of elders, to leave him at his father's statue, to reunite them. He didn't want to think about the idea of them being separated from their brother in such a final way. He didn't want to think about how this would only be the beginning of countless memorials and services dedicated to their youngest team member. There was talk of a statue, similar to what they had done when Zane had died. Kai couldn't sit through that again. It had been hard enough once.

At least they had gotten Zane back. If that was really somehow...

Tears fell down onto scorched floor tiles.


End file.
